the desert kingdom of arizona


Space Age Lodge, Gila Bend, AZDeserts are a landscape of hardship.  Yet as has always been my case, “Lucky for me, I love the Desert Southwest.” [Borderlands USA, p.175]

As lovely and pampered and touristed as the coast highways are, I felt relieved to be back on empty border tracks, the narrow two-laners connecting remoteness to nothingness, and rejoiced at their never-ending sameness. Here a sandstorm crosses the road; there a roadrunner, despite the name, does the same. [p.176]

Ever since Jesus Christ fasted 40 days and nights in the wilderness of the Judean Desert, they have taken on spiritual significance.

Come join me for a short border tour of the Arizona Kingdom.  [please hover over images for captions]


About Ben

Ben Batchelder has traveled some of the world's most remote roads. Nothing in his background, from a degree in Visual & Environmental Studies at Harvard to an MBA from Wharton, adequately prepared him for the experiences. Yet he persists, for through such journeys life unfolds. Having published four books that map the inner and exterior geographies of meaningful travel, he is a mountain man in Minas Gerais, Brazil who comes down to the sea at Miami Beach, Florida. His second travel yarn, To Belém & Back, received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. For more, visit www.benbatchelder.com.

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